Hoisting apparatus



Jan. 19, 1960 E. w. HOLMES, JR., EVAL 2,921,697

HOISTING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1956 .O WMM m L m5 zz rm. M5 @w la7 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. W. HOLMES, JR., ETAL HOISTING APPARATUS 5 ,a 7. mf, 0, M l E e o Wm; m z z z y a /w L AW f i 2 a e W 2 ,w l Y @if z B 22 a w a A W u 4, 1 xi i 5 7A w w a .i MM, /W /7/ w,

jan. 19, 1960 Filed Jan. 5, 1956 Jan. 19, 1960 E. w. HOLMES, JR., ITAL 2,921,697

HOISTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 3, 1956 3 Sheets-SheetI 5 ATI'ORNEYS United States Patent i HOISTING APPARATUS Ernest W. Holmes, Jr., Earl E. Cline, and Gerald E. Holmes, Chattanooga, Tenn., assignors to Ernest Holmes Company, a corporation of Tennessee Application January 3, 1956, Serial No. '556,839

1 Claim. (Cl. 212-144) The present invention yrelates to hoisting and similar apparatus, and the primary object of the invention 1s to provide novel and improved apparatus of this character which may bev used with facility in performing various operations such as the setting of signs, placing beams in buildings under construction, lifting of equipment to the top or upper part of a building, loading and unloading of freight cars or trucks, and for variousV other operations.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary boom as an attachment for an automobile wrecker which will adapt such a wrecker to perform various operations such as those described above, the auxiliary boom being provided with means for rigging it with cables which may be operated by the cable winding mechanism such as commonly employed in such wreckers, means being provided for removably attach- .ing the auxiliary boom to the wrecker so that it may -readily be detached therefrom and thereby avoid interfering with the operations usually performed by a wrecker.

Another object is to provide such an auxiliary boom which is of sectional construction whereby its length may be varied to enable different kinds of operations to be performed, as by shortening the boom when objects in close proximity to the wrecker are to be lifited or handled, and by lengthening the boom suiciently to enable objects to be lifted to a considerable height or lifted while located at a considerable distance from the wrecker or hoisting mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a boom with trussing means which may readily be applied to the boom when assembled to increase its length, thereby ensuring ample weight-lifting capacity thereof, and which may readily be removed when the boom is to be shortened.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an auxiliary boom which is of relatively light weight construction and which can be manufactured inexpensively.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described in detail, the features of novelty being set` forth more particularly in the claim at the end of this specication.

In the accompanying drawingsV Figure l is a top plan view of the rear end of a wrecker having an auxiliary boom according to the present invention attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a detail View of the auxiliary boom detached from the wrecker. A.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the boom as viewed from the right in Fig. 3.

FigureV 5 is a detail view partly in section and on an enlarged scale of a member of the truss for the boom.

Figure 6 is a view of Fig. 5 looking toward the left in that gure.

Figure 7 is a view of the under side of Fig. 5.

Figure 8 is a top plan View of the outer end of the auxiliary boom on an enlarged scale.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 in Fig. 8.

Figure 10 is a detail View on an enlarged scale of the anchor for the lower end of the truss.

Figure l1 is a detail sectional view showing adjacent portions of boom sections and the locking means therelfor.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary section on the line 12--12 in Fig. 1l.

Figure 13 is a detail side elevation partly in section and on an enlarged scale, of means for mounting the auxiliary boom on a wrecker. Y

Figure 14 is a section on the line 14-14 in Fig. 13.

Similar parts are designated' by the same reference characters in the several views.

lPreferably and as shown in the drawings, the invention is applied to an automobile wrecker of the type having two booms and two separate cable winding drums designated and 22, an example of a wrecker of that type being disclosed in Patent No. 2,264,569, dated December 2, 1941, which discloses power means for operating such drums, and to which reference may be had for detailed illustration and description thereof, a cable 24 leading from the drum 20 over a sheave 26 swivelled on the top of a frame 25 at one side of the wrecker and having a pivoted cable guide 2S associated therewith, and a cable leading from the drum 22 over a sheave 32 swivelled on the top of said frame at the other side of the wrecker and having a pivoted cable guide 34 associated therewith. The cable 24 is employed for supporting the boom and raising and lowering it, and the cable 30 is employed for raising and lowering the load, as will be hereinafter described.

The auxiliary boom provided by the present invention comprises a base section A and a top section B, and one or more intermediate sections C which may be used to increase the length of the boom as may be desired. Each boom section is composed preferably of a pair of laterally spaced tubular side members and cross members rigidly connecting them. As shown, the base section A comprises a pair of parallel side members and cross members 42 welded or otherwise rigidly fixed to the side members at suitable intervals longitudinally thereof to form a rigid structure. 'I'he top section B comprises a pair of laterally spaced side members portions 44 of which are parallel and rigidly connected by a cross member 45 and upwardly extending portions 46 which converge and are rigidly secured together by a transverse tie member 48 which is welded or otherwise rigidly fixed thereto. The upper ends of the converging portions 46 of the top section are spaced apart, a shaft 50 extends through these ends of the top section, and a sheave 52 is journaled on this shaft. The shaft 50 extends through a yoke 54 which straddles the sheave 52, and a rod 56 having an eye 58 thereon is securely xed to the yoke 54. Each intermediate section C comprises a pair of tubular side members 69 which are spaced apart laterally to the same extent as the sidemembers 40 of the base section A and the parallel portions 44 of the top section B, so that the base, top and intermediate sections may be assembled with their side members in alinement and their ends in abutting relation, and the side members of the intermediate section are rigidly `connected by cross members 61.

The base, top and intermediate sections are provided with means for detachably connecting Vthem so that the base and top sections A and B,'or these sections and one or more intermediate sections C `cany be assembled `and secured in alinement to form the auxiliary boom, and disassembled for transportation. Such connecting means tightly' over the upper ends of the side members 60 of this section and welded thereto, and these sleeves extend beyond the upper ends of the side members 60 and form 'sockets at their upper ends toY receive removably the lower ends of the parallel portions 44 of the side members of the top Section B. When the side members of the boom Vsections are 'constructed from pipe Vof appropriate size,

the upper socket portions of the connecting sleeves are preferably reamed out to proper size to provide sliding tits withv the side members of adjacent sections to be inserted therein. Y If a shorter boom is desired, the intermediate section C may be omitted and thebase and top sections A4 and B yassembledV and connected directly by inserting the lower ends of the parallel portions 44 of the top section 'in the Sockets in the upper ends of the sleeves. 62 onthe Vbase section. When a longer boom is desired, Vtwo or Y more intermediate sections similar to thersection C may be assembled between the base and top sections A'and B.

Each of the connecting sleeves is providedv with means for securing the ends of the Side members of an adjacent section in the socket portions of these sleeves, such securing ymeans comprising preferably a spring plunger 66 ysecured to the socket portion of the sleeve and positioned thereon to enter a hole 68 appropriately located in the Yend of the side member of a hoorn section to register with the plunger when such end of a boom vsectior'i'has been fully inserted in the socket poltion of the sleeve, as shown in detail in Fig. ll. Each spring plunger is slidable radially of the socket portion of the respective sleeve Vin a housing 70 welded or otherwise `fixed to the sleeve,

and is engageable in the hole 68 of the adjacent boom section under the action of a compression spring 72 which holds the plunger in the hole. The plunger is provided at its outer end with a head 74 for operating it, the head being preferably provided with a pin 76' which is engageable with the outer end of the housing 70 when the plunger is withdrawn and turned intopone position to retain the plunger in retracted position to facilitate insertion of the respective side member of an adjacent boom section, said pin entering a Slot 78 in the outer yend of the plunger housing when the plunger is rotated vthrough a partial revolution and thereby releasing the plunger for engagement in the hole 68 under the action of the spring 72 to lock the adjacent boom sections from separation. When adjacent boom sections are assembled, the lower ends of the side members of each boom Vsection seat on the upper ends of the Side members of the next lower sectionV to transmit between the sections the longitudinal load imposed'on the boom.

Means are'provided for mounting the auxiliary boom on a supporting structure, the mounting means shown in the present instance being adapted to support the auxiliary boom detachably on a wrecker and comprising preferably a pair of sleeves 80 forming sockets adapted to receive removably the lower ends of the side members 40 of the base ksection A, each of these sleeves` being provided with a spring plunger to enter a hole in the lower end of the respective-side member of the base section, as lshown in Fig. 11. Each of the sleeves 80 hasV a pivot lug 82 welded or otherwise secured thereto,

this lug 'having a hole 84 to receive a pivot pin 86l supported by a bracket 88 having a base plate 89 to rest on 4 I the bracket 88, base plate 89 and base 9G being firmly secured by bolts 92 to the oor 91 of the wrecker. The pivotally connected lug 82 and bracket 88 provide for fore and aft swinging movements of the auxiliary boom in order to locate the boom for lifting or lowering of the object, and in order to prevent undue forward swing of the boom over the pivot pin 8'6, each sleeve 80 has a radially projecting stop plate 94 rigidly secured thereto as by welding. The stop plate has a'heel 95 which is offset forwardly from the pivot 86 and is so shaped that it will engage and bear on the base before the boom reaches a critical angle in its forward swingwhere its center ofl gravity wouldV be forward of the pivot pin 86. A pair of the sleeves 80 and supporting brackets 88 are preferably attached permanently to a wrecker to receive the lower ends of the side members of the base section A when the auxiliarypboom is to be used,rand the ends of "thebase section` may be released by retraction o'f the spring plungers and withdrawn from said sleeves when the auxiliary boom is not to be used.

A sheave 96Y is provided under which the cable kfrom the drum 22 passes, this sheave having a hook 97 for attaching it toran eye 98 secured to a bracket 99 which may be bolted to the floor 91' of the wrecker. The sheave 96 is located centrally between the sides of the wrecker andon a line longitudinal of the wrecker and passing centrally betweenrthe sheaves. 26 and 32,`and a Ysheave 102V is attached by ahook 104 thereon "to the eye 58 on the rodl 56 atfthe outer or upper end of the boom, they cable 24l passing around Vthe sheave 102 and having on its end'remote from the drum 22 a hook 106 which is engageable with a rigid part of the frame 25 of the Wrecken Y Trussing means is provided for strengthing the boom for increasing its load 'capacity when one or moreintermediate sections are used between the base and top sections without unduly increasing the weight ofthe boom. Such trussing means comprises a truss postll which is preferably inthe form of a channel iron which is rigidly secured midway of its length, as by a bolt 112,

`to a cross member, such as the cross member 61 of an intermediatevboom section C, rotation of the post on said bolt being prevented by an angle iron 114 which may be welded or otherwise xed rigidly to the cross member 61. A shoe 116 having a groove 118 therein is fitted between 'the flanges of the post 110 at each end thereofand fixed thereto as by a bolt 120, the grooves in the shoes extending longitudinally of the boom section centrally between its sides, and the shoes being located respectively above and below the boom when the sections-thereof are assembled. Ihe intermediate boom section C provided with the truss post may be assembled as one of two or more intermediate sections of the boom.

A pair of truss cables l122' are provided to extend longitudinally above and below or opposite sides of the boom when an intermediate section provided withr the truss post is assembled in the boom. These trusscables Yare secured together at one end and to a ring 124 which is provided with a hook 126, the latter being engageable with an eye 128 welded or otherwise secured to the cross Vmember 45 of the top boom section B. The portions of these truss cables intermediate of their length extend through the groovesin the shoes 1'16 and the other ends of these truss cablesV are secured to hooksV 130 on a pairof truss cable tensioning rods 132 having screwthreaded ends to extend through a pair of apertures 134 in the lowermost` cross member 42 of the base section of the boom and located centrally of the width thereof, the extremities of these rods having nuts v136 threaded thereon and bearing against the lower side of said cross member. The truss cables, when assembled on 'the boom extend longitudinally above and below thev boom and centrally -of the-width thereof, and Yby adjusting `the nuts #1-3'6, the truss cables abovefand below the boom-may 4be tensioned' equallyand to the required extentf-tosti-ffen the boom transversely of the plane of the boom sections. The boom is thereby strengthened to resist any forces tending to bend or distort it transversely of its plane, although the boom when assembled may be of considerable length. Tensioning of the truss cables also applies a longitudinal compression on the boom which acts tomaintain the ends of the side members of the assembled boom sections in solid abutting engagement and thereby stabilize and maintain the boom sections in proper assembled relation.

In applying an auxiliary boom according to the present invention to a wrecker of the type for example as that disclosed in the patent hereinbefore referred to, the brackets 88 with the sleeves 80 pivotally connected thereto are bolted to the floor of the wrecker truck, the booms usually employed for lifting an end of a disabled automobile for towing or for similar purposes are swung to the respective sides of the body of the wrecker, and the service cables 24 and 30 are removed from those booms. The lower ends of the side members of the base section A of the auxiliary boom may then be inserted into the sleeves 80. tions to provide a boom of the desired length are assembled by inserting the lower ends of the sections above into the sleeves secured to the respective lower section while the spring plungers are retracted, and the spring plungers released to lock the assembled sections from displacement during the handling of the boom. The cable 24 from the cable winding drum 20 on the wrecker is then extended along the auxiliary boom to and around the sheave 102 attached to the top section and the hook 106 on the end of this cable is engaged with the frame of the wrecker, and the cable 30 from the cable winding drum 22 on the wrecker is reeved under and around the sheave 96 and then extended to the upper end of the boom centrally between its sides and over the sheave 52 from which this cable may extend downwardly for `connection to the object to be lifted. Operation of the cable drum to wind the cable 24 thereon will swing the auxiliary boom after assembly to the appropriate height and angle, about the pivot pins 85, under a pull applied to the cable 24 which serves to support the auxiliary boom and to adjust it to the desired operating inclination, and operation of the cable winding drum 24, after the object to be lifted has been connected to the cable from this drum, will serve to raise or lower the object.

The tension applied to the portions of the cable 24 connected to opposite sides of the transverse frame 25 of the wrecker is equalized by the sheave 102 positioned centrally of the width of the top boom section and is therefore distributed equally between the sides of the boom, so that the resultant force applied by this cable will act in a line longitudinally of the boom and centrally of its width and therefore will not exert any stress on the boom tending to distort it transversely. The ten- The desired number of sec-y sionapplied to the cable 30' in lifting or -lowering or supporting an object suspended therefrom will act longitudinally and centrally of the boom, due to the central and longitudinal position of this cable, so that the reaction of the load on this cable will not exert any stress on the boom in a direction to distort it transversely. The auxiliary boom may therefore be of relatively light construction and possess maximum weight lifting capacity relatively to its weight, and the boom and its sections may be handled with facility.

After the auxiliary boom has served its purpose, it may be detached from the Wrecker by retracting the spring plungers on the sleeves 80 and withdrawing the ends of the side members of the base section from these sleeves which, with the brackets 88 may remain in place on the wrecker for subsequent use, the boom may be lowered with the aid of the cable winding drum 20 and cable 24, and the boom sections may be dis-assembled and loaded on the wrecker for transportation.

Although the auxiliary boom as shown comprises one intermediate section, it is to be understood that different numbers of intermediate sections may be employed interchangeably between the base and top sections to provide a boom of desired length by assembling therewith as one of the intermediate sections an intermediate sectionV having the truss post and rigging the truss cables over and under respectively the shoes on the ends of the truss post and securing the ends of the truss cables at the base and top of the boom in the manner hereinbefore described, the resulting structure in each instance being reinforced by the truss against lateral deflection between its ends under the load imposed thereon.

We claim:

An auxiliary boom for a wrecker comprising a pair of laterally spaced side members, sleeves to receive respective ends of the side members, a pair of laterally spaced brackets having means for rigidly securing them to the wrecker, means for pivotally mounting said sleeves on the respective brackets for swinging movement forwardly and rearwardly on a horizontal axis, and means including a stop plate fixed to and projecting from the respective sleeves in a direction transversely of said horizontal axis for preventing forward swinging of the boom past a position where its center of gravity is forward of said horizontal axis.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 290,780 Manson Dec. 25, 1883 570,124 Crosby Oct. 27, 1896 844,990 Allan et al. Feb. 19, 1907 1,732,047 Holmes Oct. 15, 1929 2,168,837 York Aug. 8, 1939 2,264,569 Holmes Dec. 2, 1941 2,503,340 Kipper Apr. 11, 1950 2,516,364 Caddell July 25, 1950 

